A standalone computer system is a computer (CPU and peripherals) that the operator has sole use of and which

are not connected to any other computer systems, although they may be connected to the internet (which is a massive network) the computer itself is 'in charge'. There are NO shared facilities or features with this type of computer system. The operating system, applications software and user data files are all stored on the computers hard disk or on floppy disks which are inserted into the computer's drive(s).

A network of computers is formed by linking two or more computers together via a communications system to a central computer called the 'network file server' often just called 'the server'. The reason for networking computers is to share computing power and peripherals, and to exchange application software or user data files and information, both within and outside the organization.

If the PC fails... That PC is the only one affected, since the PCs are completely separate, if it breaks down it will not affect any other PCs. Portability... A standalone PC can easily and quickly be un-plugged from the power and telephone sockets and moved to a new location. Can be dedicated to single or a limited number of tasks... The relatively low cost of a PC system make it economical to be used for one or a small number of jobs. Dedicated CPU... The Central Processor in the PC is working for only one user. This utilises all the processor's speed. One PC costs less than setting up a network for a single user. The break even point is typically around four users

Networks may be either local, wide, or peer to peer.

The simplest of these is the peer to peer, which as it's title suggests has workstations that are of equal status. Generally this setup only has two workstations, each with their own operating systems, but able to share each other's data and peripherals. If more than two linked workstations are required then it is usual to go to a local area network setup, but it is possible to link many individual computers to work in combination on massive problems by this method.

LOCAL AREA NETWORKS:

Local area networks (LANs) are networks where the workstations are connected to a network file server, and are situated on the same site. A site being defined as one or more rooms within the same building or a group of buildings next to each other. LAN workstations are usually connected by a cable (hard wired) to the file server.

Wide area networks (WANs) are networks where the workstations can be situated on the same site or anywhere in the world, or even in space, and may be hard wired to the file server or connected via land lines, radio links or even satellites.

Hardware Costs are usually lower when the number of workstations exceeds four. Sharing Facilities such as the software applications and data on the server's hard drive(s) and allowing many machines to use a small number of printers, saves cost and desk space. Transmission of data files and messages between users connected by a network is easy and rapid. High levels of security can be achieved since only authorized users have access to the data on the network. However, once a 'hacker' has gained access, the data becomes easily available to them and since networks can be designed to be accessed from a remote location via a modem, security may be lower than a standalone system which has no remote access. (future link to Quarantine machine) Software upgrades are easier on a network than on the same number of stand alone machines, since only one copy is installed and configured on the file servers hard disk instead of an individual copy on each standalone machine.

Network Limits... There can be almost any number of users that are allowed access to a network. However, they may not all be able to use the network at the same time. There is a finite limit to the number of workstations that can be connected to any one server. Passwords and User Names... All network users are supplied with some form of security. This restricts access to the network to those who are entitled to use it. Security is controlled by means of group or individual user names, and/or by passwords. Logging On and Logging Off... When a user wishes to access the network they must 'Log On'. This involves typing in his/her user name or code followed by his/her password if they have one. Once typed in, the network software checks the details against a list of authorized users. If the typed data matches then, and only then, the user is allowed to proceed. If either the user identity or password is incorrect the user is prompted to log on again. When the user wishes to leave the network, say at the end of a work period, then he/she must 'Log Off' the network. This involves quitting the software application(s) in use, returning to the network menu screen and then selecting or typing exit, logoff, quit, logout or whatever the 'logging off' command is. Note... Standalone systems can be set-up with passwords for authorized users, but this is not very sensible as they are inherently less secure than networks, owing to most standalone systems having at least one floppy disk drive which, with a suitable boot disk, the machine can be booted and run independently of any security system.

CPU (Central Processing Unit) 'Micro Processor' or just 'Processor' The CPU is the brain of the computer. The CPU organizes all the functions of the computer system and consists of three sections. The control unit ... Co-ordinates all the computers functions by interpreting and carrying out the instruction sent to it by an input device or program. ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)... this is the computational engine that makes the calculations, decisions and logical comparisons. Cache Memory... This is an array of memory cells which can be easily and quickly accessed by the ALU to store data until it is needed for another part of a calculation. The processor is totally solid state with no moving parts. They are usually fabricated on one thin plate of doped silicon with circuitry architecture that is incredibly small, resulting in short transmission paths and high data rates.

OS = operating system Processor Speed

Windows 7, Windows Vista, etc. The processor speed is the speed at which your laptop, desktop or machine will be able to run applications. Its measured in a unit called hertz (Hz). Since technology is always moving forward, processors are working faster and faster and are now being measured in MHz (megahertz) or GHz (gigahertz), meaning theyre a lot faster! The memory location where a computer keeps applications and data when they are in use. RAM is measured in megabytes. Usually a destructive program written specifically to program to infect one or more other programs. When the infected program is used, the embedded virus also opens and performs its predetermined action on the software, files, or computer. Viruses can be transmitted from computer to computer through the downloading and sharing of files received on floppy disks, via email or by downloading files from the internet.
Types of viruses:
Worm Trojan horse

RAM (Random Access Memory)

Virus